We were talking about House Bill 615, the proposal that would gut North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act. The bill was referred to committee last week but has not been scheduled for discussion or a vote yet. If the bill is passed, inmates who have been convicted of murder and sentenced to death will have to Continue Reading Legislators Propose Repeal of Racial Justice Act (p. 2)

The North Carolina House of Representatives referred a controversial bill to committee this week. House Bill 615 is titled “An Act to Reform the Racial Justice Act of 2009 to Be Consistent With the United States Supreme Court’s Ruling in Mccleskey v. Kemp.” The Racial Justice Act was a hot topic during the 2010 election Continue Reading Legislators Propose Repeal of Racial Justice Act

Prosecutors in Wake County revealed last week that they will seek the death penalty in their case against the 30-year-old man charged with killing North Carolina state school board member Kathy Taft. Taft was sexually assaulted and beaten to death in March. The formal charges are murder, first-degree rape and burglary. The death penalty decision Continue Reading Da Will Seek Death Penalty in Taft Murder

Can things get any worse for the North Carolina court system? Already facing a backlog of cases, the courts can anticipate claims prompted by the State Bureau of Investigation’s questionable practices. And, they have to wade through the claims inmates, defendants and their attorneys filed under the state’s Racial Justice Act. The law was enacted Continue Reading Rja Cases Add to Courts’ Backlog

Tuesday, August 10 was the last day for inmates to appeal their death sentences under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act (RJA). The law allows murder defendants to present evidence demonstrating that racial bias played a role in their conviction or denial of their appeals. The deadline comes on the heels of the release of two studies that highlighted the racial disparities Continue Reading Deadline is Here to File Under Racial Justice Act